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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

If you breastfed past 6 months, when and why did you finally stop?

90 replies

putthekettleon · 20/01/2011 16:22

Just wondering really as this is all new to me... I stopped BF DD1 at 5 months for various reasons, mainly she preferred the bottle and I had enough of expressing!

DD2 has been a dream to breastfeed, completely refuses a bottle and we're still going strong at 7 months. I definitely want to carry on til 12 months at least but after that I've no idea how or if I would stop. She loves BF, it's the only way to get her to sleep or calm her if she's hurt/tired/teething etc. I love it too but at the same time I look at DD1 (2.9) and think I just can't imagine still BF a child who can walk and talk (and can bite!)

When did you stop? Did your child decide for themselves or did you just have enough?

OP posts:
DancingThroughLife · 20/01/2011 17:29

I always thought that feeding a baby with teeth was 'weird' and unneccesary. DD is now almost 8 months and has teeth and I have no intention of stopping yet. I want to make it until 12 months, when she can have cows milk in the day and bf morning and night until she stops.

At the moment, I think I'll encourage her to stop when we get closer to 2 (if she's even still going then), but I'll probably change my mind when we get there Grin

TrinityMotherOfRhinos · 20/01/2011 17:31

dd1 -13 months, I was wrongly told I had to stop to take antidepressants

dd2 -9 momnths, she just didn't want to anymore

dd3 - not stopped yet, she is 4 in feb

HettyAmaretti · 20/01/2011 17:35

14 months for both.

DD because I was pregnant with DS and milk supply dropped dramatically at about 14 or 16 weeks, also it was just too painful to see it through until supply got better.

DS because I was run ragged after 2 1/2 years of sleepless nights and 3 and a bit years of continually being pregnant, BF and pregnant or BF. Had PND, AND and then PND again no support throughout and was just a wreck.

I'd wanted / planned to feed for 2 years each and was really sad to stop both times.

HettyAmaretti · 20/01/2011 17:37

I was continually asked when I was going to stop from 3 months with both DC Angry

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 20/01/2011 17:38

DS kept BFing until 2 days before his 2nd birthday.

6 months was my goal, then 12, then 13 because of MMR and then we just carried on!

DC2 is due at the end of March and I am half-expecting DS to want to try and latch on, he has been asking about the baby having 'mik-mok' a lot. :)

comewhinewithme · 20/01/2011 17:39

DD is 20 months and I am still bf.
I thought I would manage a week Hmm.
She loves it more than food though and still feeds a lot.I want to stop but she dosen't Grin She is very bossy aswell and will tell me which boob she wants.

KaraStarbuckThrace · 20/01/2011 17:40

2 years 7 months with DS - he stopped of his own accord.

FreakoidOrganisoid · 20/01/2011 17:42

DD was 5 months, just refused to latch on

DS was 20 months, had started to reduce his feeds from 16 months or so because I couldn't stand having him permanently attached any more Blush

HettyAmaretti · 20/01/2011 17:42

Ali - DD was 18 months when DS was born (was 6 months after last BF). She never tried / asked to feed but was chuffed to be given EBM, very handy for refused bottles and leftover bits. I used to express for her when she was ill too.

DilysPrice · 20/01/2011 17:49

8 months for both - DD because I was going back to work, and DS because he was still cluster-feeding all evening despite a formula top-up and I just couldn't take it any more.
Cried buckets at the time but don't particularly wish I'd done more - given the hell I went through to establish BF with DD I think I did bloody well to get that far.

ProfYaffle · 20/01/2011 17:56

Both dds stopped by themselves at about 13/14 months. Dd1 was ebf for 6 months, then mixed fed for the following 6 months. She gradually lost interest in bf.

dd2 was bf for 12 months and then I introduced cow's milk in a bottle (she refused a cup) once she realised it was easier than bf she weaned herself.

Both times it felt about right for me.

Jennylee · 20/01/2011 18:04

I fed first ds for 12 months he started to bite and draw blood at every feed , dd for 15 months but was pregant and the milk went and it hurt too much, now ds2 is 8 months and biting and it hurts to feed his teeth are rubbing don't know what to do as not into formula lol the guilt would kill me but it hurts so much and have cracks any ideas?

Babieseverywhere · 20/01/2011 18:13

Still feeding all three of mine. Though I am hopeing DD1 will self wean soon as she is at the right age 4.5 years to do so.

I expect to feed 2.5 year old DS and 5 month old DD2 for a while yet.

So short answer is I don't know how to stop....yet :)

TruthSweet · 20/01/2011 18:18

I fed DD1 until she was 3.6y/o and she self weaned, DD2 is 3.2y/o and DD3 is 15m and neither of them have weaned yet (they are on solids though just for clarification).

Mumbybumby · 20/01/2011 18:22

Until DD self weaned at 16 months (I was a couple of months pg). She had really bad flu for 2 weeks and was stuck to me the whole time and when she got better she obviously decided that's the end of that! :(

undercovamutha · 20/01/2011 18:23

11m with DD - she self-weaned.

8m with DS - he was mix fed from 3m (big weight loss, and no interest in milk). He self-weaned at 8m.

Wigeon · 20/01/2011 18:23

Til 12 months because:

  1. I could then switch DD straight onto cow's milk, bypassing the need for formula altogether (main reason); and

  2. I was going back to work and was still leaking a bit and no way wanted to have little leaky spots on my tops where my nipples are Blush, even when I wore breast pads. (yes, yes, I know plenty of women BF and work).

I think it was the right decision for me and DD.

PrincessBoo · 20/01/2011 18:23

DS in 3 at the end of the month and still had the occasional feed (not in the day as I put a stop to that when he was 2, but first thing in the morning, not every morning.), but i think the end is in sight :)

PrincessBoo · 20/01/2011 18:23

is has

Longtalljosie · 20/01/2011 18:23

Only one DD - at 13 months, because I wanted to try to conceive this year and my periods were showing no signs of coming back (I timed it well, too, they came back in December!)

Next child, if we're lucky enough to have one, I'd like to go for longer.

popsycal · 20/01/2011 18:25

ds1 around 3 months
ds2 a few weeks before his 3rd birthday
ds3 is almost 2 and a half and still BF though I want to stop (but it is just easier to keep going)!

You don't notice them beginning to walk and talk - it is seemless.

Stopped feeding ds2 as was pregnant with ds3 and it HURT! I also felt 'ready' and he had his first overnight stay without me and I just carried on from there.

Ds3 - I am ready but he is still in our bed every night for half of the night and I have no energy to stop. ONce I summon the energy, I will encourage no feeds in the day (he is easily distractable already and is not bothered if I am not there IYSWIM).

My reasons? I want my body back now. It has done it's bit! Over the last 9 years, I have only been non-pregnant/breastfeeding for around a year. And in the past 6.5 years, I have ALWAYS been either pregnant or breastfeeding or BOTH!!!

COCKadoodledooo · 20/01/2011 18:27

Ds1 was just short of his 2nd birthday. Was down to one in the morning, one at bedtime by then (all down to him), then we moved house.

About 3 days after we moved in, I realised he hadn't bfed, asked, or appeared to want to, and that was the end of that.

Don't know how I'm going to gt ds2 to stop as we have no plans to move! (he's almost 15 months)

Northernlurker · 20/01/2011 18:30

dd1 - 11 months when she self weaned after a long winding down period. I was very sad about that but she knows her mind Smile

dd2 at about 11 months when she had also wound down to one feed a day. I had a horrendous headache one night and she went to bed fine without her feed and didn't seem to look for it again so we stopped then.

dd3 - v keen Smile Had two feeds a day till 16 months then dropped to one but as I was working full time I really, really valued the bedtime feed and she was very keen so we carried on till 27 months when after a few nights here and there when I hadn't done bedtime she accepted we were stopping. Tbh at that point I had had enough and she was only nursing very briefly. I like to think of it as a mutual decision Smile

So 1 the child decided, 1 I decided and the child didn't object and 1 we sorted it out between us.

FourArms · 20/01/2011 18:31

I stopped feeding DS1 at 22m as I was 22w pg with DS2 and it was really really tiring me out.

I stopped with DS2 at 34m because I'd had enough and he fed all the time, and hadn't weaned down at all. I thought it would be horrific, and it was actually fine and done and dusted in 3 days.

I was pg or bf (or both!) from June 2003 to May 2009!

flipper09 · 20/01/2011 18:32

DD - 15 months.

DS - just under 3 years.

Obviously everyone's choice - but health benefits to the baby don't stop when child reaches age X. So I think the thing to ask yourself is, "If I am going to stop breastfeeding, what fluid am I going to substitute?" Whatever you choose is going to be of less benefit to the health of your child. Which doesn't mean don't stop - but I think should be considered when making the decision.